Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Oct 25: Former US president Barack Obama launched a sharp attack on President Donald Trump at campaign rallies in Ohio and Michigan on Saturday, urging voters to support Democratic candidates ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.
The Democrats are seeking to regain control of one or both chambers of Congress, currently controlled by Trump's Republican Party. Obama, who remains popular among Democratic supporters, has been campaigning to boost the party's candidates in key contests.
At both rallies, the 65-year-old former president blamed the Trump administration for the rising cost of living, which has emerged as a major concern for voters amid soaring fuel prices.
“The current president chose to make a series of bad decisions,” Obama said in Ohio, where he campaigned for former Democratic senator Sherrod Brown.
“Most importantly, he decided to start an unnecessary war that nobody asked for,” he added.
Addressing supporters in Cleveland, Obama urged voters to use the midterm elections to express their dissatisfaction with the administration.
“After two years of chaos and cruelty and corruption and incompetence, the likes of which we have not seen in the modern era, you get a chance to say, 'Enough is enough,'” he said. “We are voting for change right here in Ohio.”
Obama later campaigned in Michigan for Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive Democratic candidate contesting the US Senate race against Republican Mike Rogers.
He also referred to Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin, who is not facing re-election this year, while highlighting the possibility of greater religious representation in the Senate.
“You got a Muslim man, you got a Jewish woman fighting for you in the United States Senate. That's something, Michigan, you can be proud of,” Obama said.
He urged voters to cast their ballots early, noting that early voting was already underway in both states.
“Don't procrastinate, don't equivocate,” he said.
In Ohio, Brown is seeking a political comeback against incumbent Republican Senator Jon Husted. The state's gubernatorial contest features Democratic candidate Amy Acton and Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, a former presidential candidate.
Obama also mocked Trump's renovation projects in Washington, including work on the National Mall's Reflecting Pool, plans for a large White House ballroom and the gilded decorations added to the Oval Office during Trump's second term.
“He's got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory,” Obama said, comparing the decor to the lavish interiors associated with the former Iraqi leader and the popular American restaurant chain.
National polling has indicated that Democrats could regain control of the House of Representatives, while the Senate contest remains more competitive. The outcome of the midterm elections will determine the balance of power in Congress and influence the remainder of Trump's presidency.